The Callisto Protocol – Criticism of Schofield tweet: Such statements are really big crap!

The Callisto Protocol is currently well on the way to becoming the game that Dead Space fans have been wanting for years: Oppressive scifi horror in space that is really not squeamish. Glen Schofield, mentor to space mechanic Isaac Clarke and CEO of Callisto developer Striking Distance Studios, wants to create a love letter to what is probably his most famous work.

After a recent tweet from Schofield, however, it has now become known under what working conditions the game will be developed in the months before release. And despite all my anticipation, the work culture that is practiced here and presented in a glossed-over way is a slap in the face to an industry that is already battered on this point.

To sugarcoat crunch culture is an indictment

Schofield has since deleted his tweet, but the content reverberates a day later. Here first his statement (via Dualshockers):

Such a statement would be problematic enough if it came from a developer. But Schofield is no ordinary developer. As studio founder and CEO, he is responsible for his project and the people who work for him. To utter phrases like “You do it because you love it” and “This is gaming” from one’s position and thus glorify and legitimize crunch is extremely problematic.

Crunch culture, especially among AAA developers, has been one of the biggest problems in the gaming industry for many years. The consequences, namely burnout due to overwork and unpaid overtime, social problems due to the massive impact on the private life of developers, to name just a few.

Schofield is truly no exception

To make this point clear again: What Schofield practices and exemplifies with The Callisto Protocol is no exception, it is often part of the reality when developing complex games.

Prominent examples are Naughty Dog, Rockstar Games or CD Projekt Red, which recently caused negative headlines in two respects in the development of Cyberpunk 2077:

But crunch culture is in the public eye now more than ever. Among others, Bloomberg reporter and author Jason Schreier – who also commented on Schofield’s tweet – prominently draw attention to the topic and the long-term consequences for game developers (recommended reading: Blood, Sweat an Pixels / PressReset).

It would probably be a bit premature to speak of a jolt going through the industry. However, there are first signs of improvement in many places. See Naughty Dogs Neil Druckmann’s statement or den GTA 6 work culture report.

Schofield comments on criticism

Finally, Glen Schofield’s reaction to his tweet and the criticism that followed should find its place here:

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“That was wrong”: Schofield states that he values ​​passion and creativity, not overtime. He also apologizes to his team for his previous tweet.

Hardly anyone doubted that Schofield values ​​passion and creativity and sets an example. You can tell that The Callisto Protocol is about a heart project. This was also noticeable during my appointment with Striking Distance at gamescom.

Unfortunately, these points are not the issue here. It’s about how a leader externally glorifies a highly problematic work culture.

If, just a few years ago, Schofield’s statement might have been applauded and filed under the heading “passion for gaming”, today one is more enlightened and knows the consequences of the crunch culture in the video game industry. And I expect more from an industry giant like Schofield than statements like “This is gaming” when he talks about the overwork and exhaustion of his team.